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Stakeholders have pointed out the need for government policy reform in hydropower expansion. In the 23rd Annual General Meeting of Independent Energy Producers Association, Nepal (IPPAN), stakeholders have also demanded facilitation of energy development.
In the program, Congress President and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba stressed on the need to create an environment where domestic and foreign investors can invest confidently in Nepal. There is no such thing as giving pain to investors. It is necessary to create an environment where both domestic and foreign investors can invest confidently,' he said.
Ganesh Karki, president of IPPAN, discussed the investment and contribution of the private sector in energy and mentioned that more facilitation is needed in the future. He said that the private sector's investment in hydropower generation has exceeded 13 trillion rupees and said that an additional investment of 30 trillion rupees will be required in the next 10 years.
Expressing doubts about the implementation of the government's Energy Development Roadmap 2081, President Karki demanded that special legal provisions like "Sunset Law" be declared as a crisis period for energy development. He said that projects worth 40,000 megawatts have been affected due to the Forest Act, Environment Act, Parks Act and other legal obstacles, and requested an immediate policy change.
Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Deepak Khadka said that the government is firmly committed to take Nepal on the path of sustainable development in the energy sector. "According to the Prime Minister's policy of allowing electricity to be produced where the transmission line reaches, a power purchase and sale agreement (PPA) has been signed," Minister Khadka said. He also informed that there is continuous discussion and coordination with the Ministry of Forestry to remove obstacles in the production process. 'Government alone cannot invest, the participation of the private sector is mandatory. The government is fully committed to making the private sector a partner,' he said.
Member of Parliament Janardhan Sharma said that the initial share issue (IPO) should not be delayed as the energy sector is the basis for advancing economic development. Hydropower projects should not be registered unnecessarily. The trend of buying rivers and not running the project has increased, those who really have the ability to build and operate the project, are not getting the river. This trend must be stopped. Only those who have the ability to produce should be given a license,' he said. In the
program, serious concerns were expressed about take and pay model, PPA system, stalled IPO issuance, illegal taxes levied by the local level, interruption in transmission, suspension of project construction within the park, relief of flood-damaged projects, etc. IPPAN urged the government to allow the private sector to trade electricity, distribute and produce hydrogen, make the Energy Act 2080 investment-friendly, and set up large-scale industries to increase domestic consumption.
